In recent years, we’ve been getting to hear a lot of strong female voices from Down Under in the wide world of indie rock. And although The Beths do not come from Australia – like Julia Jacklin or Courtney Barnett – but from the small neighbouring islands of New Zealand, the quartet around Elizabeth Stokes still fits well into this category. On the scene since 2014, »Expert In A Dying Field« is the band’s third album, which also features half upbeat power pop and half incisive indie rock on its dozen new songs. The Beths’ sound is characterised by big, powerful guitars and catchy, rousing hooks. Stokes’ song writing, on the other hand, is occasionally autobiographical, then again allegorical, but always revolves around rather dark feelings: with a bright voice, she sings about fear of loss, fear of change and the hard, binding struggle to somehow come to terms with a painful break-up and look to the future afterwards. Such lyrics naturally create a wonderful frictional warmth in contrast to the sunny sound. The special charm of »Expert In A Dying Field« thus lies in the down-to-earth and somehow droll-amusing way in which tenderness and vulnerability are thematised and expressed in the songs. Even if this music had to travel halfway around the globe to get to us: I’d love to hear more of it, please!
Black Country, New Road
Forever Howlong
Ninja Tune